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World Literature

2005-05-02T23:23:02Z

Chowa: /* Italian (Roman) */

[[Image:Blasphmer.jpg|thumb|The Blasphmer, by William Blake]] Mostly dealing with Western World Literature, the following resources address mostly the [[Epic Poetry|epic genre]] and [[tragedy]] so far. More should be forthcoming.

== Anglo-Saxon ==
* [[Beowulf]]

== Greek ==
* [[Euripides]]: [[Medea]]
* [[Homer]]: [[The Iliad]] and [[The Odyssey]]
* [[Sophocles]]: [[Oedipus Rex]]

Curt Howard
English 2111
Dr. Gerald Lucas
May 2, 2005
First Politician
Although the light of almost four centuries has been focused on The Prince, its problems are still debatable and interesting, because they are the eternal political problems between the ruled and their rulers. The rulers have to make it seem to the ruled their best interests are taken to heart. Such as they are, its ethics are those of Machiavelli's contemporaries; yet they cannot be said to be out of date so long as the governments of the world rely on material rather than on moral forces (Marriott 117-118). Its historical incidents and rulers’ personalities become interesting by reason of the uses which Machiavelli makes of them to illustrate his theories of government and personal conduct. Principles of conduct and political savvy mentioned in his “handbook” written in 1513 A.D. are still useful today, so in essence, Machiavelli was the world’s first true politician because he understood the rules of the game and what it took to be a good politician.
The Prince is full of truths that can be proved at every turn. Men are still the dupes of their simplicity and greed, as they were in the days of Alexander VI (Thomson). The cloak of religion still conceals the vices men try to hide. Men will not look at things as they really are, but as they wish them to be - and are ruined. In politics there are no perfectly safe courses; prudence consists in choosing the least dangerous ones. Then, to pass to a higher plane, Machiavelli reiterates that, although crimes may win an empire, they do not win glory (Marriott 129-131). Necessary wars are just wars, and the arms of a nation are hallowed when it has no other resource but to fight. A great leader and politician has to be able to make the ruled think they have no other alternative but to fight – to win honor and glory. These types of politicians and world leaders still use the same strategy today, and it still works on the populace.
It is the cry of a far later day than Machiavelli's that government should be elevated into a living moral force, capable of inspiring the people with a just recognition of the fundamental principles of society; to this argument The Prince contributes but little. Machiavelli always refused to write either of men or of governments other than as he found them, and he writes with such skill and insight that his work is of abiding value. But what invests The Prince with more than a merely artistic or historical interest is the incontrovertible truth that it deals with the great political principles which still guides nations and rulers in their relationship with each other and their neighbors (Thomson).
Though Machiavelli wrote and published other literary works his world reputation is based on The Prince. This “manual” on how to obtain and keep political power covers twenty-six chapters. The first eleven deal with different types of government and principalities and the ways in which they are acquired and preserved. The twelfth to fourteenth chapters focus particularly on problems of military power. The book’s astounding fame, however, is based on the final twelve chapters, which deals primarily with the attributes and “virtues” of the prince himself (Lawall 1706). Despite its reputation for cool, precise realism, the work presents a hypothetical type, the idealized portrait of a certain kind of person - the ideal political leader.
Machiavelli is committed to his view of the human being not as a philosopher or as a religious man but as a practical politician Lawall 1707). His chapter concerning faith and bravery is written about in chapter 18. He talks about how to fight and act like a lion, and on the opposite side, when to be sneaky and use cleverness, like a fox, to outwit an opponent (Lawall 1716). He also says that it is not necessary for a prince to really have strong personal virtues, but it is very necessary to seem to have them. He said the prince should seem compassionate, trustworthy, humane, honest, and religious, and actually be so, but have his mind trained to be able to change to the opposite when needed Lawall 1717). Machiavelli was emphasizing the importance of flexibility when it said it was necessary that the prince (politician) have a mind capable of turning in whatever direction the winds of Fortune and the variations of affairs require. These political rules of the game, so precisely described in The Prince, make Machiavelli the world’s first true politician.

Works cited:

Marriott, W. K. Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince. Dent & Sons, London, 1908.

Thomson, N. H. Harvard Classics, Vol. 36, Part 1. P. F. Collier & Son Co. New York, N. Y. 1914.

Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Seventh Edition. W. W. Norton & Company New York, N. Y. 1999.

== Sumerian ==
* The epic of [[Gilgamesh]]

== Relevant Links ==
* [[Literary Terms]]

== Additional External Links ==
* [http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/bailey/worldlit.htm LitWeb] — San Antonio College’s World Literature outlines.
* [http://www.zeroland.co.nz/literature.html Literature on the Web] — Links to various world literature resources.
* [http://dmoz.org/Arts/Literature/World_Literature/ World Literature] — from Open Directory.
* [http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/worldlit/ World Literature Online] — from Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.

[[Category:World Literature]]

MediaWiki User's Guide: Starting a new page

2005-04-29T00:53:34Z

Chowa:

Curt Howard

English 2111

Dr. Gerald Lucas

Feb 20, 2005

Solid As A Tree

The scene is which Penelope tests her husband’s knowledge of their wedding bed neatly brings together several ideas that the epic has touched on before. This subtle test reveals Penelope’s clever side – the side we have seen in her ploy to use a never to be finished burial shroud to put off remarriage for four years. This test not only admits Odysseus to Penelope’s arms but also sheds some light on why their love for each other is so natural in the first place. They are united by the commonality of their minds, by their love of scheming, testing, and outmaneuvering. They are kindred spirits, because they are kindred wits. None of the suitors could ever replace Odysseus, just as Circe or Calypso could never replace Penelope. Literally and metaphorically, no one can move their wedding bed built from, and literally attached to, a tree.

Keep is mind in this scene, that just because Odysseus has killed her suitors, Penelope has to be absolutely sure Odysseus is really her husband. Penelope remains wary, afraid that a God is playing a trick on her. She knows that only her husband knows about their pact, their pledge, their secret sign, (the immovable bed). She orders Eurycleia to move her bridal bed, and Odysseus suddenly flares up at her that their bed is immovable, explaining how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the entire house has been constructed (Lawall 496). Hearing him recount these details, she knows this man must be her husband.

The wedding bed symbolizes the constancy and commitment of Penelope and Odysseus’ marriage. Only a single maidservant (Eurycleia) has even seen the bed, and it is where the happy couple spent their first night in each other’s arms since Odysseus’s departure for Troy twenty years earlier. The symbolism is heightened by the trick that Penelope uses to test Odysseus, which revolves around the immovability of their bed – a metaphor for the unshakable foundation of their love.

Works cited:

Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, The Western Tradition Seventh Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, New York N.Y., 1999.

Talk:MediaWiki User's Guide: Starting a new page

2005-04-29T00:41:33Z

Chowa:

Curt Howard

English 2111

Dr. Gerald Lucas

Jan 23, 2005

Our Life Is All There Is

In summary, the epic of Gilgamesh is the first great heroic narrative of world literature and is timeless. Despite its omissions and obscurities, its strange cast of gods, and its unfamiliar theory about the creation of the universe, the story of Gilgamesh is powerful and gripping. An exciting adventure that celebrates kinship between men, it asks what price people pay to be civilized and questions the proper role of a king, and it both acknowledges and scrutinizes the attractions of earthly fame. Most of all, Gilgamesh describes the struggles of an exceedingly strong man who must reconcile himself to his mortality and find meaning in his life despite the inevitability of death. The meaning he found was the legacy of the city of Uruk he left behind (Kovacs).

The following excerpts from Gilgamesh emphasize the importance he placed on his achievements. When Gilgamesh the king and the ferryman reach Uruk, Gilgamesh said to the ferryman: “Urshanabi, climb up on to the wall of Uruk, inspect its foundation terrace, and examine well the brickwork; see if it is not of burnt bricks; and did not the seven wise men lay these foundations? One third of the whole is city, one third is garden, and one third is field, with the precinct of the goddess Ishtar. These parts and the precinct are all Uruk" (Lawall 45). He is empty-handed but reconciled at last to his mortality. He knows that he can’t live forever but humankind will. Now he sees that the city he had rejected in his grief and terror is a magnificent, enduring achievement – the closest thing to immortality to which a mortal can aspire. Now he accepts the fact that earthly life is all there is and he needs to live in the here and now. His place is in Uruk, which, if he rules it well, will live on after him and continue to grow in power and beauty. Taken on its own terms, the ending is deeply positive. Gilgamesh can now see Uruk for the marvel of human ingenuity and labor that it is, a worthy monument to the mortals who built it (Leeming).

Works cited:

Kovacs, Maureen G. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford University, 1989.
Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, The Western Tradition Seventh Edition. W. W. Norton & Company New York, N.Y., 1999.
Leeming, David Adams. Mythology, Voyage of the Hero. New York Oxford University, N.Y., 1998.

Medea

2005-04-12T02:43:18Z

Chowa: /* Themes and Motifs */

== Summary ==

[[Image:MedeaChariot.jpeg|thumb|Medea’s Chariot]]The play [[Medea]] begins in turmoil and escalates until the tragic end. ''Medea'' tells the story of passion that transforms from love to hate. Consumed with a passionate rage ''Medea'' seeks to avenge her husband, [[Jason,]] who has wronged her. Jason has left ''Medea'' and taken a new wife. To add insult to injury, Jason’s new bride is the daughter of king [[Kreon]] and a Greek.

The play opens outside the house of ''Medea'' and Jason in [[Corinth]]. The [[Nurse]] tells the sorrows of ''Medea'' and how Jason has abandoned ''Medea'' after all she has done for him. The Nurse is afraid ''Medea'' will harm someone close to her. ''Medea’s'' heart is full of violence especially for Jason and the children. ''Medea'' is overwhelmed with grief that is manifesting as jealousy and rage.

The [[Tutor]] appears with ''Medea'' two young children who have been outside playing. ''Medea’s'' children are oblivious to the resentment their mother is beginning to feel towards them. The Nurse warns the children to stay out of their mother’s sight. The Tutor is the bearer of bad news. The Tutor has heard rumors that ''Medea'' and her children will be exiled from Corinth. The Nurse is sympathetic to ''Medea’s'' plight while the Tutor is blasé.

The [[Chorus]] of Corinthian women arrives to check on ''Medea''. The Chorus hears ''Medea'' cries and curses from inside the house. The Chorus asks the Nurse to go see if ''Medea'' will come outside so they can console her.

A distraught ''Medea'' enters the courtyard and delivers a poignant speech on the sufferings and indignations of women in an oppressively man’s world. ''Medea'' points out to the Chorus being a woman is even worst for her because she is a foreigner without a family or a home. The Chorus sympathizes with ''Medea''. ''Medea'' despises Jason for taking another wife, and condemns Jason, his new bride, and king Kreon. ''Medea'' makes the Chorus promise if she finds a way to revenge Jason, they will remain silent. The Chorus gives ''Medea'' a vow of silence agreeing ''Medea'' is right to seek revenge.

''Medea'' has been blatantly lamenting her disgruntlements. ''Medea’s'' condemnations have come to the attention of king Kreon. King Kreon enters and exiles ''Medea'' and her children because he is afraid of ''Medea''. Using her children, ''Medea'' appeals to king Kreon on a paternal level and asks for one more day for the sake of the children so she can get her affairs in order. King Kreon reluctantly agrees and allows ''Medea'' to stay in Corinth one more day convinced she could not do the evil he fears in one day.

The Chorus pities ''Medea'' but ''Medea'' assures them one day is all she needs to avenge Jason faithlessness. When considering how to kill her enemies, ''Medea'' rules out swords or fire because that would mean close contact with the victims and she may get caught giving her enemies a reason to laugh at her. Being humiliated is one of ''Medea'' greatest fears and motivates her to lash out to save face. ''Medea'' decides to use poison. A conniving manipulator ''Medea'' schemes to poison Jason, his new bride, and king Kreon. ''Medea'' is determined no one especially a man will mistreat her and live to tell about it.

Jason visits ''Medea''. Similar to Kreon when he visited ''Medea'', Jason immediately chastises ''Medea'' for her behavior and blames her for her own exile. ''Medea'' calls Jason a coward and reminds him of all she has done for him in the name of love. ''Medea'' is instrumental in assisting Jason in obtaining the Golden Fleece. ''Medea'' betrays her father, murders her brother, an exile from her homeland, and orchestrates the death of Pelias … all for a man who has snubbed her. Jason tries to convince ''Medea'' he married king Kreon daughter for her and their children sake. Marrying into prosperity will benefit them all. Jason argues ''Medea'' has benefited from their marriage more than he. Jason took ''Medea'' away from a barbaric, lawless land. ''Medea'' is very popular living among the Greeks. ''Medea’s'' cleverness is admired in Corinth whereas in [[Colchis]] cleverness is not revered. Also, the children need royal siblings to protect them. ''Medea'' and Jason continue to argue. ''Medea'' feels Jason should have been man enough to tell her he has taken a new bride. Jason believes ''Medea'' is too irrational to handle the news of his bride and her behavior now reflects he was correct in his assumption. Jason offers ''Medea'' contacts with his friends that will help her once she and the kids are exiled from Corinth. Fiercely pride ''Medea'' refuses to take anything from Jason who betrayed her.

By chance ''Medea’s'' friend king [[Aigeus]] of [[Athens]] visits. ''Medea'' envisions a safe haven for escape. ''Medea'' tells Aigeus of Jason’s treachery and her pending exile. ''Medea'' beseeches Aigeus for asylum in Athens. King Aigeus unaware of ''Medea’s'' murderous intentions offers ''Medea'' sanctuary in return for her offer of drugs that will end his childlessness. However, king Aigeus gives Medea one condition for sanctuary, ''Medea'' must come to Athens on her own will. Aigeus swears an oath to all the gods at ''Medea'' appeal that he will not turn her over to her enemies no matter what. Reassured ''Medea'' sets her scheme for vengeance in motion. ''Medea'' tells the Chorus of her plans.

''Medea’s'' scheme of murder is coming together. ''Medea'' has a safe haven once the murders are complete. As her scheme unfolds, ''Medea'' realizes she must also murder her own children to completely avenge Jason’s dishonor. ''Medea'' wants to hurt Jason deeply and she cannot risk anyone who does not love her children hurting them. The Chorus begs ''Medea'' to reconsider murdering her children. ''Medea'' says,” No compromise is possible” (803).

''Medea'' sends for Jason. ''Medea'' uses an assuaging attitude with Jason. ''Medea'' apologizes for her angry and tells Jason he is right to have married king Kreon’s daughter. ''Medea'' pretends to be submissive like Jason expects a good wife to be. After “''kissing up''” to Jason, ''Medea'' sends her children along with Jason and the Tutor to the bride with gifts of a poison woven dress and a golden diadem.

The Tutor returns with the children and tells ''Medea'' the royal princess will let the children stay in Corinth. The Tutor is baffled by ''Medea’s'' melancholy behavior. ''Medea'' exhibits tenderness and cold-heartedness as she cries and talks to her children preparing herself to murder them. When ''Medea’s'' children smile at her she considers relinquishing her murderous scheme. The fury ''Medea'' feels at being betrayed by Jason conquers her resolve. ''Medea'' is compelled to finish what has already been started.

''Medea'' anxiously waits for news from the palace. The [[Messenger]] enters surprise ''Medea'' is hanging around. The Messenger tells ''Medea'' to run. The Messenger brings news that the royal princess and king Kreon are dead. ''Medea'' glories in the details as the Messenger tells her of the anguish deaths. Jason’s bride and king Kreon die an awful, torturous death with suffering as well. The golden diadem burst into flames sitting upon the royal princess head burning her body and the woven dress sloughs the flesh from her bones. As king Kreon cradles his daughter dead body the poison consumes him as the poisonous woven dress adhered to his flesh.

Jason returns looking for his children to protect them from the angry Corinthian mob after he finds out his new bride and father-in-law have been murdered by ''Medea''. The Chorus tells Jason his children have been murdered by their mother’s hand. Jason is appalled and looks for ''Medea''. ''Medea'' has hung around to gloat. ''Medea'' appears above the place in a chariot drawn by dragons provided by her grandfather, [[Helios]], the sun god. The children bodies are on the chariot. Jason begs for the children’s bodies, but ''Medea'' cynically laughs at him refusing to give his the honor of burying the children dead bodies. Jason desperately wants to kiss his dead children and bury them, but ''Medea'' refuses to give him the satisfaction. Jason insults ''Medea'' by telling her a Greek woman would never do the things she has done. ''Medea'' and Jason blame each other for the children’s death. ''Medea'' prophesies Jason’s death. ''Medea'' and Jason argue violently as the play comes to an end. The Chorus closes the play reflecting on capricious nature of gods’ will. ''Medea'' succeeds in revenge and Jason is lonely and tormented. Jason has lost his financial security, his status, and children to carry on his name. Jason is left without distinction. ''Medea’s'' avenge is achieved. Passionate love turned to passionate hate.

Work Cited

Euripides. ''Medea. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces''. Eds. Lawall, Sarah and Mack, Maynard. 7th. NY: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1999. 642-672.

Ferguson, John.'' A Companion to Greek Tragedy''. TX: University of Texas Press. 1972.

Lattimore, Richard. ''The Poetry of Greek Tragedy.'' MD: John Hopkins Press. 1958.

Additional Reading

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/medea.html

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu

== Themes and Motifs ==
== Right Message, Wrong Messenger ==

Curt Howard
English 2111
Dr. Gerald Lucas
April 10, 2005

Right Message, Wrong Messenger

Euripides’ Medea, was the first in a series of plays in which vivid, powerful women appeared on the Euripidean stage. It was produced in the year that the Peloponnesian War began, and sought to play on the low morale of the public to restore the female sex in positions of social influence and power. Throughout the centuries it has been regarded as one of the most powerful of the Greek tragedies, and also one in which the theme of women was more important than most. It is in this play that Euripides could either restore or condemn the female populace in society (Pelling).

Euripides questions many social norms of the period, but he uses a female such as Medea to convey his message. While Medea has no legal rights, she is the sorceress’ grandchild of the Sun God and therefore able to articulately explain her actions and passionately act on her plans. She is initially able to gain the sympathy and support of the Corinthian women for her plight by passionately pleading her case to the public at large. Medea’s passionate arguments fly in the face of the Greek tradition that only the male has the ability and right to lucid, rational argument. Jason although regarded as civilized by Greek society, is by contrast weak, compromised and cowardly. Medea also challenges ancient Greek society’s decree that the greatest glory for a woman was to bear children, provide sex and to fulfill the demands of her husband (Rassidakis 220-226). From the first compelling moments of this one-act play the audience is drawn into contradictions confronting Medea: to challenge injustice and betrayal or accommodate to it and the financial security and comfort it could bring (Pucci). Traditional behavior of women was a very important aspect of this play, and portraying Medea as both similar and different to fellow womankind allowed the audience to make judgment on the role of women as they knew it. Medea recurrently assaulted fundamental and sacred values and that gave the play much of its power and allowed Euripides to most persuasively portray her as an incarnation of disorder. Could any male audience possibly start to respect any woman that could crush basic human order? Euripides did not himself condemn Medea. Rather, he gave the audience a choice on whether to accept her character and actions. However by implication he is associating a breakdown in human order as being due to the wickedness in such a woman. Yet associating such a drastic event with women would imply that they had the power to be so destructive, and that was not an option of the times - especially when a war had just broken out, and unity was of great importance (McDermott).

In the tragedy Medea, Euripides fails to rehabilitate the female sex. He chooses a semi-divine, foreign sorceress to voice the appeals of ordinary Athenian wives. She is a woman capable of murder, manipulation and deception, and she has no sense of remorse. In choosing her, Euripides appears to be sending out mixed signals concerning women. Her concerns are those that apply to the majority of women at the time, and an audience would no doubt have understood these; yet Medea deals with them in a way that is abhorrent for a woman of fifth-century Athens (Easterling). She invokes both pathos and disgust, and, for a male audience, she would encourage distrust and continuing ‘imprisonment’ and lower social status for women. Although Euripides may well have believed in promoting womankind, it would have been difficult to put this idea across to the male audience of the day, and that may be why he is unable to make any significant advances in the Medea. He had the right message, but used the wrong messenger (Strauss 237-270).

Works cited:

Rassidakis, Kristina. The origins of love, hate, and retaliation in Euripides tragedy; Medea: a psychodynamic approach. Changes: International Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy 15, 1997.
Pucci, Pietro. The Violence of Pity in Euripides’ Medea. Cornell University, 1980.
Pelling, Christopher. Greek Tragedy and the Historian. Oxford, 1997.
Ober, Josiah and Strauss, Barry. Drama, Political Rhetoric, and Discourse of Athenian Democracy in Winkler, John J. Athenian Drama in Its Social Context. Princeton, 1990.
McDermott, Emily A. Euripedes’ Medea: The Incarnation of Disorder. University Park, PA. 1989.
Easterling, P.E. The Infanticide in Euripides’ Medea. YCS 25, 1977.

== Xenophobia ==

Euripides’s Medea explores the tensions which existed between citizens and foreigners and Greece’s subsequent Xenophobia. In the play, Medea represents the non-citizen who completely lacked legal and social rights. Not only is she far from the comforts of her native land, but also, as both a woman and a foreigner, she is viewed as a “poor creature” (643), below the level of a human being.

As Doctor Gerry Lucas pointed out in his lecture, marriage was a citizen’s contract, meaning Medea had no legal hold on Jason and could not take any form of official recourse. The Nurse laments that “…she has discovered by her sufferings/ What it means to one not to have lost one’s own country” (643). The Nurse is making a deliberate comparison to Jason, who as a male citizen enjoyed legal protection and political activity. Medea, a female non-citizen, is left without a voice or support. Her lack of institutional support led to the necessity that she herself administer Jason’s punishment.

Jason most aptly expresses the Xenophobic snobbery inherent in such disparity between citizen and foreigner. As he explains to Medea the advantages of living in a ‘civilized’ culture he insists that “…instead of living among barbarians/ You inhabit a Greek land and understand our ways/ How to live by law instead of the sweet will of force” (653.) Such ethnocentric attitudes were both stemmed from and perpetuated by the lack of citizen’s rights. According to Wikipedia, women and foreigners were unable to vote and therefore could not create public policy that would help eradicate Ancient Greece’s sexism and xenophobia.

== Historical Context ==

Greek tragic playwright, Euripides was born in Athens circa 480 BCE. He is credited with authoring at least 80 plays, 19 of which have survived until modern times. Several of his tragedies feature very strong female characters, including ''The Trojan Women'' and ''Medea''. He died at the court of the Macedonian king in 406 BCE. His work gained a greater popularity after his death than it had received during his lifetime (Crystal 317).

''Medea'' was first produced in Athens in 431 BCE. According to legislation passed, twenty years earlier, a foreign woman could not legally marry an Athenian male. Any children begotten through such a union would not be considered legitimate heirs in the eyes of the law (Vandiver 217-16).

=== Works Cited ===

Crystal, David. ''The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia.'' Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. New York. 1995.

Vandiver, Elizabeth. ''Greek Tragedy''. The Teaching Company. Course # 217. Lectures 1-24.

== Feminist Concerns ==
Euripides wrote ''Medea'' in 431 B.C. (640). Greek mythology shows us how Greeks, at that time, had firm beliefs on how women should behave themselves and the values they should hold. The perceived submissive behavior of women begins the very moment a wife arrives in her husband’s home (O’Higgins 104). A woman is supposed to provide heirs to the man (O’Higgins 104).

An Athenian perception pertaining to a “good woman” was that a woman be loyal to her husband and children (Sourvinou-Inwood 254). The most common characteristics of a good woman would be goodness, self-control and the fact that she was devoted to her husband and children (Sourvinou-Inwood 254). A good woman would reflect the culture’s established values and provide a look into the culture itself. A bad woman would be the opposite of the positive norm. In the beginning of ''Medea'', she portrays herself as a good woman. She was devoted to Jason and loved him so much that she felt as though she could not survive without him. When the nurse is talking in the beginning she states that “poor Medea is slighted, and cries aloud on the vows they made to each other, the right hands clasped in eternal promise (643).” Even though the play begins as seeing Medea as a normal, possibly good woman, she has already shown signs of abnormality in her behavior for a woman at that time. Medea is already showing signs of hatefulness towards her children. “I hate you, children of a hateful mother (645).” Medea is already showing behavior that women would not dare show in this time.

Medea could be seen as a heroine for women who do not want to be confined to the role of the “producer of legitimate offspring (McDonald 303).” By killing her children, she separates herself independently from her husband and the general patriarchy (McDonald 304). Even though at this time, husband’s were expected to be with other women, Medea feels as though her family rights were violated. Medea was also different in this aspect. She didn’t believe that and felt vengeful. The ultimate punishment for Jason, was to violently take his heirs from him. Medea’s anger turned into aggressive action, which can make her into a symbol for women (McDonald 304).

Throughout the play, Medea was more or less an ordinary woman portrayed as a bad woman. However, she could be the victim of male power and just seemed very out of the ordinary for the role of females at this time (Sourvinou-Inwood 258). She ended up being a version of a very bad woman, by killing her son’s and wreaking havoc on Jason and male power (Sourvinou-Inwood 258).

The idea explored in this play possibly suggests that women like Medea “use the weapons of the weak, which are both deceitful and violent and hurt men where they are vulnerable to women (Sourvinou-Inwood 261).” The play suggests that normal philosophy is not perfect and easy and if things go wrong men also suffer.

Works Citied:

O’Higgins, Dolores M., Sourvinou-Inwood, Christiane, and McDonald, Marianne. Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy, and Art. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.

== Characters ==
* [[Jason]]

* [[Medea]]

* [[King Kreon]]
''Medea'' is the princess of the Isle of Colchis(642). ''Medea'' is a sorceress, skilled in magic, and is renowned for her cleverness. ''Medea'' comes from a prestigious lineage. Medea is the daughter of king Aeetes and Idyia. ''Medea'' is also the granddaughter of the sun god Helios and the niece of Circe who is also known as a sorceress. ''Medea'' admires and is a protégé of goddess Hecate a patron of witchcraft.

''Medea'' falls in love with a man named [[Jason]] when he reached the land of Colchis in pursuit of the Golden Fleece.(642) ''Medea'' falls in love with Jason, helps him steal the Golden Fleece from her own country and leaves with him.(642) She eventually marries Jason and has children with him as they have moved to live in exile in Corinth.(643)

''Medea'' learns Jason has been dipping his noodle in the King of Corinth’s daughter.(643) She learns he has intentions of marrying her and leaving ''Medea'' and the kids to fend for themselves.(647) Kreon, King of Corinth, hears of ''Medea’s'' anger with Jason and the king’s daughter.(648) Kreon approaches ''Medea'' and sentences her to exile.(648)

Nothing like a woman scorned as ''Medea'' in her angered state plans for the demise of her husband, his new bride to be, and her father.(658) ''Medea'' first covers her base by finding a safe place to live in exile. (656) King Aigeus, King of Athens, agrees that if she can find her way to his doorstep she can stay forever and be safe.(656)

Now ''Medea'' plans the way to kill Jason’s bride to be and anyone who touches her.(658) She plans to poison two bridal gifts for Jason’s new bride and have the children hand deliver them to her.(659) Jason falls for the plan and takes the children to his bride to be where she receives her gifts and puts them on falling to her death.(664) The children return to ''Medea'' where she kills them right before Jason returns to find out what dastardly deed she has done.(669) ''Medea'' escapes Corinth with her dead children on a dragon drawn chariot given to her by Helios, her father’s father to protect her from her enemies.(670) She escapes to live in Athens and Jason never sees his children again.(670)

Work Cited

Buxon, Richard. ''The Complete World of Greek Mythology''. NY: Thames & Hudson. 2004.

Graves, Robert. ''Greek Myths''. NY: Penguin Books. 1981.

== Commentaries ==
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000320.shtml Euripides' ''Medea'': Patriarchal Terrorism]]

== Sources ==

Athenian Democracy. 2005. Wikipedia. 8 April 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy#Citizenship_in_Athens>.

== External Links ==

[[Category:World Literature]]

MediaWiki User's Guide: Starting a new page

2005-02-25T23:50:49Z

Chowa: Solid as a Tree

Curt Howard

English 2111

Dr. Gerald Lucas

Feb 20, 2005

Solid As A Tree

The scene is which Penelope tests her husband’s knowledge of their wedding bed neatly brings together several ideas that the epic has touched on before. This subtle test reveals Penelope’s clever side – the side we have seen in her ploy to use a never to be finished burial shroud to put off remarriage for four years. This test not only admits Odysseus to Penelope’s arms but also sheds some light on why their love for each other is so natural in the first place. They are united by the commonality of their minds, by their love of scheming, testing, and outmaneuvering. They are kindred spirits, because they are kindred wits. None of the suitors could ever replace Odysseus, just as Circe or Calypso could never replace Penelope. Literally and metaphorically, no one can move their wedding bed built from, and literally attached to, a tree.

Keep is mind in this scene, that just because Odysseus has killed her suitors, Penelope has to be absolutely sure Odysseus is really her husband. Penelope remains wary, afraid that a God is playing a trick on her. She knows that only her husband knows about their pact, their pledge, their secret sign, (the immovable bed). She orders Eurycleia to move her bridal bed, and Odysseus suddenly flares up at her that their bed is immovable, explaining how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the entire house has been constructed (The Odyssey, book XXIII, page 496). Hearing him recount these details, she knows this man must be her husband.

The wedding bed symbolizes the constancy and commitment of Penelope and Odysseus’ marriage. Only a single maidservant (Eurycleia) has even seen the bed, and it is where the happy couple spent their first night in each other’s arms since Odysseus’s departure for Troy twenty years earlier. The symbolism is heightened by the trick that Penelope uses to test Odysseus, which revolves around the immovability of their bed – a metaphor for the unshakable foundation of their love.

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2005-02-25T23:40:58Z

Chowa: Solid as a Tree

Curt Howard

English 2111

Dr. Gerald Lucas

Feb 20, 2005

Solid As A Tree

The scene is which Penelope tests her husband’s knowledge of their wedding bed neatly brings together several ideas that the epic has touched on before. This subtle test reveals Penelope’s clever side – the side we have seen in her ploy to use a never to be finished burial shroud to put off remarriage for four years. This test not only admits Odysseus to Penelope’s arms but also sheds some light on why their love for each other is so natural in the first place. They are united by the commonality of their minds, by their love of scheming, testing, and outmaneuvering. They are kindred spirits, because they are kindred wits. None of the suitors could ever replace Odysseus, just as Circe or Calypso could never replace Penelope. Literally and metaphorically, no one can move their wedding bed built from, and literally attached to, a tree.

Keep is mind in this scene, that just because Odysseus has killed her suitors, Penelope has to be absolutely sure Odysseus is really her husband. Penelope remains wary, afraid that a God is playing a trick on her. She knows that only her husband knows about their pact, their pledge, their secret sign, (the immovable bed). She orders Eurycleia to move her bridal bed, and Odysseus suddenly flares up at her that their bed is immovable, explaining how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the entire house has been constructed (The Odyssey, book XXIII, page 496). Hearing him recount these details, she knows this man must be her husband.

The wedding bed symbolizes the constancy and commitment of Penelope and Odysseus’ marriage. Only a single maidservant (Eurycleia) has even seen the bed, and it is where the happy couple spent their first night in each other’s arms since Odysseus’s departure for Troy twenty years earlier. The symbolism is heightened by the trick that Penelope uses to test Odysseus, which revolves around the immovability of their bed – a metaphor for the unshakable foundation of their love.

Talk:MediaWiki User's Guide: Starting a new page

2005-02-25T23:25:53Z

Chowa:

Curt Howard

English 2111

Dr. Gerald Lucas

Jan 23, 2005

Our Life Is All There Is

In summary, the epic of Gilgamesh is the first great heroic narrative of world literature and is timeless. Despite its omissions and obscurities, its strange cast of gods, and its unfamiliar theory about the creation of the universe, the story of Gilgamesh is powerful and gripping. An exciting adventure that celebrates kinship between men, it asks what price people pay to be civilized and questions the proper role of a king, and it both acknowledges and scrutinizes the attractions of earthly fame. Most of all, Gilgamesh describes the struggles of an exceedingly strong man who must reconcile himself to his mortality and find meaning in his life despite the inevitability of death. The meaning he found was the legacy of the city of Uruk he left behind.

The following excerpts from Gilgamesh emphasize the importance he placed on his achievements. When Gilgamesh the king and the ferryman reach Uruk, Gilgamesh said to the ferryman: “Urshanabi, climb up on to the wall of Uruk, inspect its foundation terrace, and examine well the brickwork; see if it is not of burnt bricks; and did not the seven wise men lay these foundations? One third of the whole is city, one third is garden, and one third is field, with the precinct of the goddess Ishtar. These parts and the precinct are all Uruk.” (Norton Anthology World Masterpieces, 7th edition Volume 1, pg. 45). He is empty-handed but reconciled at last to his mortality. He knows that he can’t live forever but humankind will. Now he sees that the city he had rejected in his grief and terror is a magnificent, enduring achievement – the closest thing to immortality to which a mortal can aspire. Now he accepts the fact that earthly life is all there is and he needs to live in the here and now. His place is in Uruk, which, if he rules it well, will live on after him and continue to grow in power and beauty. Taken on its own terms, the ending is deeply positive. Gilgamesh can now see Uruk for the marvel of human ingenuity and labor that it is, a worthy monument to the mortals who built it.

Talk:MediaWiki User's Guide: Starting a new page

2005-02-25T23:24:05Z

Chowa: Our Life is All There is

Curt Howard
English 2111
Dr. Gerald Lucas
Jan 23, 2005

Our Life Is All There Is

In summary, the epic of Gilgamesh is the first great heroic narrative of world literature and is timeless. Despite its omissions and obscurities, its strange cast of gods, and its unfamiliar theory about the creation of the universe, the story of Gilgamesh is powerful and gripping. An exciting adventure that celebrates kinship between men, it asks what price people pay to be civilized and questions the proper role of a king, and it both acknowledges and scrutinizes the attractions of earthly fame. Most of all, Gilgamesh describes the struggles of an exceedingly strong man who must reconcile himself to his mortality and find meaning in his life despite the inevitability of death. The meaning he found was the legacy of the city of Uruk he left behind.

The following excerpts from Gilgamesh emphasize the importance he placed on his achievements. When Gilgamesh the king and the ferryman reach Uruk, Gilgamesh said to the ferryman: “Urshanabi, climb up on to the wall of Uruk, inspect its foundation terrace, and examine well the brickwork; see if it is not of burnt bricks; and did not the seven wise men lay these foundations? One third of the whole is city, one third is garden, and one third is field, with the precinct of the goddess Ishtar. These parts and the precinct are all Uruk.” (Norton Anthology World Masterpieces, 7th edition Volume 1, pg. 45). He is empty-handed but reconciled at last to his mortality. He knows that he can’t live forever but humankind will. Now he sees that the city he had rejected in his grief and terror is a magnificent, enduring achievement – the closest thing to immortality to which a mortal can aspire. Now he accepts the fact that earthly life is all there is and he needs to live in the here and now. His place is in Uruk, which, if he rules it well, will live on after him and continue to grow in power and beauty. Taken on its own terms, the ending is deeply positive. Gilgamesh can now see Uruk for the marvel of human ingenuity and labor that it is, a worthy monument to the mortals who built it.